The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is expanding into the Far East.
During an appearance on “The MMA Hour” on Wednesday, BKFC president David Feldman and RIZIN Fighting Federation president Nobuyuki Sakakibara announced that the two organizations have agreed to a talent-sharing partnership with plans to jointly promote events in the near future.
“Today we are announcing our official partnership with BKFC and RIZIN to produce Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship shows in Japan and the Southeast Asian region, as well as provide any support RIZIN may need from around the world,” Feldman said. “We are truly excited about this partnership and to be partnering with a legend like Sakakibara.”
The arrangement kicks off with RIZIN fighters fighting under the BKFC banner at an event on July 12 at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California, where RIZIN’s Tatsuki Shinozuka will face Carrie Caprio in a bare-knuckle boxing match.
Then on July 28, BKFC talents Ty Emery and Charisa Sigala will collide at Super RIZIN 3. Additionally, BKFC flyweight champion John Dodson will face a yet-to-be-announced opponent in another bare-knuckle bout on the same card. Dodson has competed in three MMA bouts for Japanese organizations.
RIZIN has partnered with Bellator MMA on co-promotional events in recent years, primarily due to Sakakibara’s relationship with Scott Coker, who left Bellator late last year when the organization was acquired by the Professional Fighters League.
Sakakibara is confident that adding bare-knuckle combat bouts to RIZIN’s cards will capture the interest of Japanese fans.
“I really see the potential in BKFC,” Sakakibara said. “I think in the martial arts industry around the world, everything is at a standstill and the fans are all looking for new moves. They’re looking for new action, and that’s exactly what’s happening in Japan. Of course in the U.S. they have things like power slaps and that’s starting to gain popularity, but the same in Japan, a lot of people are looking for something new. They want more excitement.”
“We believe BKFC has everything it takes to bring new excitement to the region. Japanese fans love it and we believe David and his team are very professional and know what they’re doing. Partnering with them was a natural fit for us.”
The talent sharing deal will continue for the time being, but Feldman admitted that the goal is to eventually bring an entire BKFC show to Japan while co-promoting with RIZIN.
